Incarnation Catholic Church and School (Glendale, California)

Incarnation Catholic Church and School are a large Catholic church and elementary school located on North Brand Boulevard in Glendale, California. The parish was founded in 1927 and the school in 1937. The current church was completed in 1952.

History

Early history

The parish was established in 1927 and was carved out of the existing parish of Holy Family Church. The first services were held in a private home on the site where the current church is situated. As the parish grew, services were moved to the American Legion Hall on West Arden. When Father Thomas O'Sullivan became pastor in 1928, he had a temporary church built on the site.cite web|title=A Brief History of Incaration Parish|url=http://www.incaglendale.org/inca/incahistory.html|publisher=Incarnation Catholic Church] The elementary school opened in 1937 under the administration of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Monsignor Carvill served as pastor at Incarnation for forty years from 1932 to 1972. It was under Msgr. Carvill's leadership that the current church was built in 1952. Cardinal Timothy Manning presided at Msgr. Carvill's funeral in 1975. In 1970, Incarnation Church was the site of a Congress of the Legion of Mary, a Catholic lay organization. [cite news|title=Glendale Church Site of Congress|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1970-04-26]

Recent history

Monsignor Laurence O'Brien served as the pastor at Incarnation from 1972 to 1986, after which he remained at the parish as pastor emeritus. Cardinal Roger Mahony presided over Msgr. O'Brien's funeral in 1998. [cite news|author=Brett Anthony Collins|title=Obituaries; Msgr. Laurence O'Brien, 82; Pastor Emeritus in Glendale|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1998-08-26] He was succeeded by Monsignor Eugene Frilot who served as pastor from 1986 to 1999. In May 1990, the funeral of Vic Tayback, the actor best known for his role as the gruff diner owner and short-order cook Mel on the long-running television series "Alice," was held at Incarnation Church. [cite news|author=Myrna Oliver|title=Vic Tayback; Actor Best Known as Mel in `Alice' TV Series|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1990-05-26] In 1993, the parish received negative publicity when a transient named Filiberto Maldonado, assaulted and attempted to rape a 73-year-old woman who was alone praying inside the sanctuary at the church. The man was later sentenced to eleven years in prison. [cite news|author=Steve Ryfle|title=Glendale Man Gets 11 Years for Attempted Rape|date=1995-05-06|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/21421524.html?dids=21421524:21421524&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+6%2C+1995&author=STEVE+RYFLE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=3&desc=GLENDALE+Man+Gets+11+Years+for+Attempted+Rape] [cite news|author=Tommy Li|title=Churches Seek Ways to Hike Security Safety: Police conduct seminar for ministers and parishioners after a transient tried to rape an elderly woman inside a church|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1993-10-07|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60398502.html?dids=60398502:60398502&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+7%2C+1993&author=TOMMY+LI&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=1&desc=Churches+Seek+Ways+to+Hike+Security+Safety%3A+Police+conduct+seminar+for+ministers+and+parishioners+after+a+transient+tried+to+rape+an+elderly+woman+inside+a+church.] [cite news|author=Tommy Li|title=Glendale Transient Denies Assault in Church|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1993-08-06|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60355538.html?dids=60355538:60355538&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+6%2C+1993&author=TOMMY+LI&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=3&desc=GLENDALE+Transient+Denies+Assault+in+Church] [cite news|author=Tommy Li|title=Crime Changes Concept of Sanctuary Religion: After a rape attempt at Incarnation Church, only a small chapel will be open for private worship. Regular services are not affected|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1993-08-12|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60359235.html?dids=60359235:60359235&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12%2C+1993&author=TOMMY+LI&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=1&desc=Crime+Changes+Concept+of+Sanctuary+Religion%3A+After+a+rape+attempt+at+Incarnation+Church%2C+only+a+small+chapel+will+be+open+for+private+worship.+Regular+services+are+not+affected.]

In June 1997, Incarnation was the site of two tragic and publicized funerals. The first was for Glendale Police Officer Charles "Chuck" Lazzaretto, a man who the "Los Angeles Times" reported "would have become chief had he not been ambushed by a gunman." Officer Lazzaretto was shot to death in a Chatsworth warehouse while investigating a domestic violence case. Lazzaretto's funeral was attended by police officers from across California, and presided over by Cardinal Roger Mahony. [cite news|author=Jill Leovy|title=Slain Officer Remembered as a Rising Star in Glendale; 2,000 Attend Services for Investigator Killed in Ambush|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=2007-06-03]

Later that same month, the funeral of a 17-year-old high school senior, Julius Riofrir, was held at Incarnation. According to the "Los Angeles Times", the youth died when a baseball that ricocheted off the side of a batting cage and struck him in the head during a pregame warmup for his American Legion team. The paper reported that 500 people attended the ceremony at Incarnation. [cite news|author=Karina A. Haynes|title=500 Mourn Boy Struck by Baseball|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=2007-06-29|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/12719644.html?dids=12719644:12719644&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+29%2C+1997&author=KARINA+A.+HAYNES&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=5&desc=500+Mourn+Boy+Struck+by+Baseball] Father Paul James Hruby became pastor in 1999. Father Hruby was baptized at Incarnation Church in 1956 and grew up in Glendale. In 2002, Incarnation celebrated its 75th anniversary with a weekend of events including a mass concelebrated with Cardinal Roger Mahony.

The Raul Aguirre funeral

The Incarnation parish has played a role in attempting to heal ethnic tensions in a community with large Armenian-American and Hispanic populations. In May 2000, a 17-year-old Hispanic youth, Raul Aguirre, was killed in a fight with Armenian American teenagers. Aguirre, a high school senior who had planned to join the Marine Corps, was beaten with a tire iron and stabbed in the heart. Shortly after Aguirre's death, a group of Latinos fired into a crowd of young Armenian American men gathered in front of a Glendale doughnut shop, and fears grew of a street war between Armenian and Hispanic youths. Nearly 1,000 people filled the Incarnation church for Aguirre's funeral. With tensions still high, at least 15 police officers patrolled the church and grounds during the ceremony. Father Hruby, in his sermon, sought to heal the ethnic divisions, stating: "I have to believe if Raul could stand up here today he would say violence is not the answer. We are not only Latino and Armenian, white and Asian, black and Middle Eastern. We are instruments of peace and we are called to be counter-cultural and to love and be loved by all." [cite news|author=Jeffrey Gettleman and Greg Risling|title=Mourners Hear a Call for Peace; Tragedy: As officers patrol outside, nearly 1,000 fill church to hear eulogy for Glendale teen slain amid ethnic fighting. Police vow to curb violence|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=2000-05-13] A Marine Corps color guard escorted the casket out of the sanctuary and to Forest Lawn cemetery for burial. "The Los Angeles Times" reported on the ceremony as follows: "People of all types came to say goodbye to Aguirre on Friday. . . . There were old people, wailing babies, families and city officials sweating in their suits. The church was filled beyond capacity and although the crowd was mostly Latino, there were several Armenian Americans who came to pay respects." [cite news|Jeffrey Gettleman and Greg Risling|title=Slain Youth's Funeral Serves as Call for Peace; Violence: As Raul Aguirre is remembered in Glendale, officials seek to stem further clashes between Latinos and Armenian Americans|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=2000-05-13|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/53760119.html?dids=53760119:53760119&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+13%2C+2000&author=JEFFREY+GETTLEMAN%3BGREG+RISLING&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=1&desc=Slain+Youth%27s+Funeral+Serves+as+Call+for+Peace%3B+Violence%3A+As+Raul+Aguirre+is+remembered+in+Glendale%2C+officials+seek+to+stem+further+clashes+between+Latinos+and+Armenian+Americans.]

candal involving Father Jayawardene

In early January 1991, "The Los Angeles Times" reported that Father Tilak Jayawardene, who was the associate pastor at Incarnation Church from 1987 until December 1990, had been charged with six counts of molestation of a minor. [cite news|title=Priest Charged With 7 Molestation Counts |publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1991-01-05] Father Jayawardene disappeared as the police investigated the charges. Incarnation's pastor, Father Frilot, said at the time that Jayawardene left the parish in early December, saying he had been recalled by his bishop overseas. Frilot told the press: "I haven't heard anything. He hasn't contacted me. I assume he went home to Sri Lanka." [cite news|author=Phil Sneiderman|title=Fugitive Catholic Priest From Glendale Charged With Molestation of Boy|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=1991-01-05] Eleven years later, in 2002, Father Jayawardene was found residing in Sri Lanka, and Glendale police asked the Los Angeles district attorney's office to seek extradition. [cite news|title=Police Want Priest to Face Sex Charges|publisher=Daily News (Los Angeles)|date-2002-05-24|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/POLICE+WANT+PRIEST+TO+FACE+SEX+CHARGES.-a086248008] Cardinal Mahony said at the time that he has written to church officials in Sri Lanka, requesting that they return Father Jayawardene to Los Angeles. [cite news|author=Richard Winton and Beth Shuster|title=Extradition Sought for Fugitive Priest|publisher="Los Angeles Times"|date=2002-05-22|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/120864490.html?dids=120864490:120864490&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+22%2C+2002&author=RICHARD+WINTON+and+BETH+SHUSTER&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=B.4&desc=Los+Angeles%3B+Extradition+Sought+for+Fugitive+Priest]

ee also

* San Fernando Pastoral Region

Notes

External links

* [http://www.incaglendale.org/inca/incahistory.html Incarnation Catholic Church History]
* [http://www.incaglendale.org/inca/ Parish web site]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzpUY_u-lSA Video: We Are Incarnation]
* [http://www.incaglendale.org/inca/bulletin.pdf Incarnation Weekly Bulletin]